Stihl Farm Boss 20" v. Husq Rancher 455 20"

[Red Eye]

A week ago I picked up a new Husq 455 Rancher 20" to replace my old worn out 350 18"

This brand new saw wasn't even cutting as quick as my old 350, I took the saw back to the dealer and traded it in for the Husq 357xp 20"

Best move I've ever made. That 357 really cuts well, the chain speed seems to be almost twice as fast.

Never tried a Stihl Farm Boss. If I had seen this thread I would have checked it out because the saw dealer sells it too.

Just wanted to let others that the 357 is a super saw, the 455 is sluggish by comparison.

 

[Jeff Lary]

I know about 2 years ago i was thinking that i would buy a new saw.I have 2 Partner 5000 plus saws but i love to buy new sh*t.I went to two Husky dealers and said i want a saw at least equal to the 5000 plus's i already own what size do i need to get,.. both told me 357 at least.I had the occaision to use a brand new 55 husky and he was right there is absoloutly no comparision to my partner. The closest Sthl was the 029 farm boss pro ( or somthing like that ).Well I never did buy, I may some day but mine still run fine one saw has about 300 coards of fire wood Beach Rock Maple and Yellow Birch. The other saw I bought used and I have cut probobly 50 cords or so with it. Both Husky dealers said the same thing " matching an equal saw to a Partner 5000 is an expencive proposition. It has to do with the way the 5000 is ported I guess.

 

[xyz123]

I own several 5000 plus saws. My take after a comparison.The 5000 nips at the heels of the Dolmar 5100S and the NE 346xp 50cc version.
The 5000 plus was way ahead of it time.
Funny thing though is, the strongest one I have owned in the cut was the older 5000 1979 that was open port and different type coil.

 

[Builder]

Well, I still haven't bought anything yet :laughing:. I'm limping along with my current fleet of Stihls, but now I'm leaning to the Dolmar 5105 with the optional 24" bar (can't believe it but catalog says optional 24" bar). The 5105 is a full pound lighter and 1,000 rpm faster than the 510.
I think the optional 24" bar may push it to it's limits, so I may end up going back and getting the 20" if it doesn't work out. The 24' might be a lifesaver for my back at the end of a long day.
The 5105 is $220 less than the 6400 at my local dealer. Not as much saw, but $220 buys a lot of fuel & oil.

 

[40_acre_mule]

Food for thought...

I have a Husky 455 Rancher.

Not two hours ago, the chain jumped the track and chewed a hole through the gas tank.
It is clear that the corner of the tank is directly behind the chain assembly, and the tank wall is very thin. Granted, the tank is plastic, but a reasonable person would design a thicker wall where a gas tank is anywhere near the chain.
Had I been cutting near a campfire or any other open flame, it could have been interesting.

I bought the Husky because they are sold and serviced by a local tractor dealer.
There is a Stihl dealer near enough but they are very proud of their products.

 

[edwagofwv]

Don't know if anyone is still reading this thread, but here goes.\
I inherited (with the farm) two cats, a dog and one of the old classic Homelite (ole blue model) with 16 inch bar. Learned about manual oiling and was taught the backwards of sharpening the chain by a "helpful" neighbor.
It lasted on and off for 10 years and may still be repairable. Got a huge McCollah refurb with a 55cc engine and it tore everything up, but when it quit didn't mess with it. Got a Stihl Farm Boss. It was great until it got stolen and I replaced it with the 290 I think is the same thing. Ran good, but after a while became hard to start and almost broke my wrist couple times when the engine kicked back, but, I cut a lot of wood (main house heat is wood). Couple weeks ago I got it stuck and in freeing it up, it fell just right onto a piece of wood to put a hole in the gas tank. I tried to repair it since it looks like it's part of a huge section of the case. Well the long of the short of it is my wife got me a Huskie 455 for replacement. She has a Huskie riding mower and has been great. The saw is Excellent. One special deal is the compression cut off button to make starting easier. Starts within 5 pulls without the Stihl start "series" that makes it start wide open. I really like it and parts for them are cheaper around here than Stihl.
I still plan to try to maybe do some plastic welding and fix the tank on the Stihl, but would recommnd the Huslie over the Stihl.
Only or, main difference to me is that the Huskie bar has to be greased on the tip. I actually like this because I've been let down with "no lube bearings" over the years and sometimes has been at a great expense.
Well, enuf of this. Merry Christmas to all that want it and Happy Holidays to the rest

 

[Red Eye]

Don't know if anyone is still reading this thread, but here goes.\

Only or, main difference to me is that the Huskie bar has to be greased on the tip. I actually like this because I've been let down with "no lube bearings" over the years and sometimes has been at a great expense.
Well, enuf of this. Merry Christmas to all that want it and Happy Holidays to the rest

Don't forget to lube the clutch bearing also. I do this every gallon of gas used. Most new saw owners don't read their manual and never grease it till the clutch fails.

Your Husky 455 is a nice saw for the money. If you really want a saw that "honks", go for the Husky 357XP or if you can afford it, 372XP. That one cuts so fast in bigger logs it gives me a rush every time I pull the throttle.

 

[CHDinCT]

Funny you should mention the need to grease a Husky bar and clutch bearing. I was going back through the manual for my almost new Husky 555 AT and saw the section on greasing. I quick looked through the book for my Stihl and didn't see any mention of greasing. This is my first Husky so I'm not use to the maintenance on them vs Stihl. Anyway, that Husky will be getting greased this weekend.

 

[JeffandTamara]

"Don't forget to lube the clutch bearing also."

2 - Questions....Where and how????

 

[Red Eye]

Simple. First take off clutch cover Also remove the chain. (a good time to clean out the crud.... I use the shop vac)

You will be looking at one of two types of grease systems.

On the simpler of the two, you will see a little hole on the end of the crankshaft. Just put your greaser on there and give it a shot.

By spinning the clutch drum before greasing and after, you can feel the bearings first loose, then when grease added, much smoother.

The other type of the two types, the clutch drum must be removed, and then you will see the little roller bearings which should be greased, then everything back together again.

Your chainsaw will love you for this!!!

 

[JeffandTamara]

Thanks for the insight... I will take apart today and see what is going on... On the 455 rancher, I have never had the clutch drum off..... don't know what that entails..

 

[RandyT]

Simple. First take off clutch cover Also remove the chain. (a good time to clean out the crud.... I use the shop vac)

You will be looking at one of two types of grease systems.

On the simpler of the two, you will see a little hole on the end of the crankshaft. Just put your greaser on there and give it a shot.

By spinning the clutch drum before greasing and after, you can feel the bearings first loose, then when grease added, much smoother.

The other type of the two types, the clutch drum must be removed, and then you will see the little roller bearings which should be greased, then everything back together again.

Your chainsaw will love you for this!!!

I have seen several saws that the sprocket bearing was not even greased from the factory. Have had more than one stuck to the crankshaft. The rule on greasing the bar nose is grease it everytime you use it, or don't grease it at all. The main reason stihl and dolmar have gone to a nongreasable bar is because people don't grease them.

 

[Jeff Lary]

I did ot read the whole thread but I wanted to warn you of somthing.
My friend just gave me his 55 to tune up it was loosing power.I belong to arborsite it's a chainsaw forum so I went in and searched husky 55 carb issues." I figured it was the carb" and i was gonna start with fuel filter, Spark Plug, new fuel line and of course a carburator kit.
I found that many of these saws are prone to burning up a piston caused by the carb bolts getting striped. These 2 bolts are a very corse wood screw type of thread because they screw into a plastic intake block ,...yea Plastic. If you ever get into the carb check to see if your screws are of this type.If so tighten very carefully or you will strip the threads from the intake block and she will suck air and run lean.
I dont know if your saw is this way or not but just beware the carb connection is a very poor design. Good luck Jeff

 

[JeffandTamara]

Thanks for the insight...Supposed to be in the upper 40's here today, so a good time to do a little saw mtce...

 

[CHDinCT]

So, back to greasing a Husqvarna clutch bearing and bar tip. Greased mine yesterday using a basic grease gun, but I see Husky and others sell a "special" grease tool for this purpose. Any benefit to getting/using one of those? The grease didn't seem to go in real well using a standard grease gun. I ended up using my finger to push the excess in a la spreading caulking if you know what I mean.

Husky Version


Aftermarket Version

 

[Red Eye]

CHDinCT, Lubing the bar tip bearing requires one of those "bar tip grease guns" to get the grease down into the bearing properly.

Benefits? You will do the job in 5 seconds. Also you will hear a "pop" as the new grease goes into the bearing, and the old crud is pushed out.

I have two types, one, the Husky Version which is very messy to re-fill, but otherwise works well. The one I like better is a syringe type, not unlike the one that you show as Aftermarket Version.

As for the clutch bearing, if they haven't provided a lube hole, then packing the bearing the old fashioned way works!

 

[CHDinCT]

CHDinCT, Lubing the bar tip bearing requires one of those "bar tip grease guns" to get the grease down into the bearing properly.

Benefits? You will do the job in 5 seconds. Also you will hear a "pop" as the new grease goes into the bearing, and the old crud is pushed out.

I have two types, one, the Husky Version which is very messy to re-fill, but otherwise works well. The one I like better is a syringe type, not unlike the one that you show as Aftermarket Version.

As for the clutch bearing, if they haven't provided a lube hole, then packing the bearing the old fashioned way works!

Thanks - gonna see what my local dealer gets for the Husqvarna version. I think it runs about $5-$8 on-line so if his price is close, I'll pick one.

 

[Douglas733]

I Totally agree the main thing is dont buy underpowered saws expecting that the quality of any name brand is going to make up the difference. Buy a little more than you need and then the quality will show up with self evident proof...Both Good saws...Stihl is the better (for the service part of it.)

My buddy convinced me that I made a mistake buying a Husqvarna, since Stihl made the best chainsaws. After his well-constructed argument I agreed that I would buy a Stihl, just as soon as the Husqvarna gave me any grief. That was 12 years ago, and I'm still cutting firewood every year with the same Husky, waiting for that day when it causes me a problem.

Stihl has some nice features, such as tool-less bar adjustment and fat-finger-friendly tank caps. Both are very well made saws, but I notice that both companies have introduced new models that reach down for the lower end of the market. I wouldn't buy the least expensive saw in either line's line-up.

 

[Gunsaw]

I know this is an old thread but I just wanted to say, my dad taught me a sayin' about loaning tools: "A borrowed saw will cut anything." ...and aint that the truth; I don't loan out my tools and especially my chainsaw...when you get them back they don't run right and the blade is dull, the oiler is dry, and they are covered is grease and dirt and full of sawdust. They use old cheap low octane gas and don't get the oil mix right and use no name oil mix to boot which damages the engine. They never sharpen the blade when they are done and it always looks like they cut the logs right on the ground destroying the chain. You have to show me you respect tools before I'll let you use mine...if your tools look well cared for that's a start. Just like my dad, I always return borrowed tools in better condition than I got them in if it's possible.

 

[jack707]

Stihls are ok saws but I'll keep my Husky.